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Beef Flautas Recipe
Flautas are one Mexican dish which not everyone on our side of the Rio Grande is familiar with quite yet. However, they are very similar to both tacos and chimichangas, which you probably know well, whether or not you have ever heard of a flauta before. These are filled corn tortillas which are rolled up into a tube (or "flute," which is what flauta means in Spanish) and fried briefly to make them crisp, then usually topped with some sort of salsa; salsa verde in this case.
The filling here is barbacoa. This is a word which means different things to different people, largely depending on where you live. In Texas and in much of northern Mexico, barbacoa is made with beef cheeks or goat (barbacoa de chivo); if you can get fresh goat meat, you can make the recipe that way as well. In central Mexico, lamb is the barbacoa of choice and in the Yucatan, barbacoa means pork, the famous cochinita pibil.
You are free to substitute any of these meats in this recipe, though for this flautas recipe, we have assumed that you will be using either chuck roast or beef cheeks in the Texas style. Basically, barbacoa involves slowly steaming meat, usually with smoke, like a pit barbecue - though to make this recipe, you will be using a crock pot instead. It is a great dish to throw together in the morning, since it will be ready to be served when you get home in the evening.
Flautas De Res
Ingredients -
2 - 3 lbs bone-in chuck roast (or 2 - 3 lbs beef cheek meat), trimmed of excess fat
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 ½ teaspoons chili powder (use ancho chili powder if possible)
1 bunch cilantro
1 bulb garlic
1 large yellow onion, diced
Salt and black pepper, to taste
12 corn tortillas
2 cups vegetable oil, for frying
1-2 cups salsa verde (mild or hot, your choice)
Salsa, chopped cilantro, sliced radishes, and lime wedges, for serving
Preparation:
In a blender, blend the cilantro, garlic, onion, oregano, and chili powder with a little salt and black pepper, along with a cup of water.
Place the meat in a crock pot and pour the cilantro mixture over it, along with another 3 cups and cook on low for 8 hours - since barbacoa is often served as a weekend breakfast in Mexico, feel free to cook your barbacoa overnight as well.
Once it is done, allow the meat to cool and shred well.
Warm the tortillas and heat the oil in a large, deep pan.
Fill each tortilla with barbacoa and roll up, securing with a toothpick.
Fry the flautas in oil, three, or four at a time until they turn golden brown and crisp, 3-4 minutes.
Drain on paper towels and serve hot topped with salsa verde. Serve with lime wedges, salsa, sliced radishes, and chopped cilantro.
(Serves 6)
Photo Description:
Barbacoa and flautas are both a little more time consuming than many other Mexican dishes you are probably familiar with. In fact, you may be a little dismayed at how quickly your barbacoa flautas disappear, though all the time and effort are well worth it for the flavor. If you're able to get your hands on goat or lamb meat (if you have any Hispanic or Caribbean butcher shops or grocers in your city, then you probably can), try making this recipe with goat or lamb instead. No matter whether you make your barbacoa using the traditional pit barbecue method or in a crock pot, this method of slow cooking meat makes for an incredible meal. You may want to double the recipe so that you have some barbacoa left over for tacos - otherwise, it will all be gone before you know it!
